For Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Mulcair to say things like we shouldn’t be participating militarily, we should just be doing humanitarian assistance, let me quote what those representative community groups in Canada said about that policy.
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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says the Conservative leader hasn’t justified the need to ban people from travelling to certain regions.
Two federal leaders are back in the Toronto area again on Monday as the second week of the 2015 election campaign kicks off. He spoke out against the measure, which would see national security agencies tracking Canadians who travel to those areas.
Mulcair, meanwhile, was in Toronto for the launch of his new autobiography, “Strength of Conviction”, before heading to Montreal.
“Mr. Harper is obviously desperate to talk about anything other than the failure of his economic plan”, Trudeau added. While no names were mentioned Sunday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a media handout from the Conservatives said some parts of Syria and Iraq would “likely” fall under the travel ban.
The Duffy case resumes this week after a seven-week hiatus with testimony expected from Harper’s former chief of staff in the Prime Minister’s Office – Nigel Wright.
“Canada has long served as a refuge for the persecuted”, Harper said. The proposed policy would also force those returning to the country to prove they were in the region for humanitarian reasons, or as a journalist covering the conflict. “That is something we have to nip in the bud before trained terrorists return to this country”.
Harper also volunteered an answer to a question he wasn’t asked, reacting to remarks made last week by “star NDP candidate” Linda McQuaig, who told a CBC panel discussion that for Canada to meet its climate change targets, “a lot of the oilsands oil may have to stay in the ground”.
He pledged that an NDP government would bring in sustainable development legislation, including a polluter pay system where companies that damage the environment are responsible for cleanup costs. Mulcair does, however, support a west-to-east pipeline for moving oilsands crude to market.
“Our plan is to kickstart our economy, and to strengthen the middle class”.
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Duffy now faces 31 criminal charges stemming from his Senate expenses, including that he allegedly billed taxpayers for travel to campaign for the Tories in the 2011 election. “Canada’s reputation is being hurt on the world stage, simply because we’ve been working against the planet”.
